Quinoa, chickpea, pomegranate & artichoke cream salad

Ingredients Quinoa, jar of marinated artichokes, pomegranate, can of chickpeas.

Serves: X Preparation: X

Once upon a time, I was completely obsessed with artichoke cream. From slathering it on bread to swirling linguine into it, it could do no wrong as far as I was concerned. This creation was born of "oh no, lunch is in 15 minutes and all I have is a pomegranate until the market delivers my fresh produce!" panic. I always have cans of chickpeas in the cupboard (there is no emergency that cannot be fixed with hummus. It is the new cup of tea) and jars full of different grains and with this satisfying salad, I'm very glad that I do!

1) Soak the quinoa for 5 minutes and rinse well in a sieve. Depending on where you buy it, it naturally has an acrid coating called saponin which you don't want flavouring your food!

2) Cover the quinoa in slightly salted water or stock if you wish and bring to the boil for about 15 minutes, stir continually as it soaks up the water and fluffs up, then remove from the heat. Drain the chickpeas and add to the mix. 

3) Pour the jar of artichoke into a blender. Personally I prefer to drain away the oil it's marinated in first and just add a little of it, but you can in fact use all of the oil if you wish. Blitz thoroughly until a smooth, emulsified cream forms.

4) Stir some of the cream into the quinoa - just enough to dress it rather than turn it into soup! 

5) Slice your pomegranate in half, hold it over a bowl (cut side down...) and them smack it repeatedly with a wooden spoon or ladle until all of the beautiful jewels have dropped out. Sprinkle onto your salad and serve, hot or cold.

Mediterranean tart

Ingredients Pastry: 4oz plain flour, 2oz butter Filling: 4 eggs, 75g marscapone, 75g sun dried tomatoes, 75g artichokes, 3 bell peppers, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried basil.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour (plus pastry chilling)

I adore tarts. Crammed with vegetables and set in a creamy egg filling with melt in the mouth pastry, they are a meal in themselves or great with salad. This tastes of pure sunshine and is super quick to prepare.

1) To make the shortcrust pastry, cut the butter into small cubes and drop along with the flour into a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Drip in 2-3 tablespoons of cold water until the mixture quickly forms a ball. Wrap this in clingfilm and put in the fridge for 15 minutes. Once chilled, roll out and press firmly into a buttered pastry case. Bake blind for 10 minutes and set aside to cool.

2) Whisk the eggs and marscapone together, then stir in the oregano and basil.

3) This tart can be made quickly by using sun dried tomatoes and artichokes from a jar, drained well to remove the oil, but I would recommend roasting the peppers yourself as the longer they are marinated, the less sunshine sweetness they tend to have. Slicing around the core to remove the seeds, I roast these for 15-20 minutes and then peel off the blackened skin. 

4) Layer the vegetables in the tart case and pour over the egg and marscapone mix, then bake in a pre-heated oven at gas mark 5 for 30-40 minutes. The tart should be solid, rather than wobbly in the centre with a golden surface just beginning to form.

5) Serve hot or cold.

Artichoke baked beans

Ingredients 1 artichoke, 1 tsp dried/chopped avocado oil, 1 can cannellini beans, 1 bulb garlic.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

When artichokes are out of season, or if I don't have the time or inclination - these are one of the few ingredients that I am happy to cheat with and buy in a jar. Marinated artichokes keep for a long time in the fridge and add rich, slithery flavour to all manner of dishes. But making your own is of course always more satisfying and delicious. These beans are utterly lovely and great on toast or with proper baked potatoes.

1) Break the stem of the artichoke as close to the base as you can, then put the artichoke head first into a pan of hot, salted water and keep it submerged with an upturned pan lid (or plate). It will take 20-30 minutes to cook until tender - test the base with a knife - if it goes in smoothly it's ready!

2) Roast the entire bulb of garlic in the oven for 20 minutes, then carefully peel and squeeze the cloves through a garlic press and into the oil. Add the basil and oregano and set aside until the artichoke is ready.

3) Slice the petals from the artichoke heart and leave to marinate in the flavoured oil. (I tend to scoff the hearts immediately but these can of course also be marinated!)

4) All of the previous instructions can be done in advance, or omitted if using a jar of marinated artichokes. Parboil the beans for 5 minutes in hot salted water, then drain and add the artichokes and a little (about a tablespoon) of the oil marinade to the pan. Allow to simmer until the beans are soft (usually another 5 minutes) then serve hot or cold.

Gnocchi with kale & artichoke pesto

Ingredients 200g kale, 1 tbsp almond butter, 1 artichoke, olive oil, gruyere, 1 potato, 3oz pasta flour.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 1 hour

This serving suggestion for my kale and artichoke pesto is one of the lightest gnocchis that I have ever made, as I usually associate gnocchi with heavy cream sauces. I concocted this recently for a vegan friend (minus the gruyere for her of course!) and it turned out beautifully. Give it a try!

1) To make kale & artichoke pesto.

2) To make gnocchi: Bake a small potato and allow it to cool. Remove the skin and add to the blender along with the pasta flour. Blitz through and roll the mixture into balls.

3) Roll the balls in flour, score with a fork, then drop in boiling, salted water. Once the dumplings float to the surface (about 2 minutes) they're ready.

4) Drain the pan of gnocchi and stir in the pesto and grated gruyere. Serve hot

Kale & artichoke pesto

Ingredients 200g kale, 1 tbsp almond butter, 1 artichoke, olive oil.

Preparation: 40 minutes

Pesto is a regular favourite with me, and so versatile. From the Italian classic basil/pine nut/garlic/lemon/parmigiano combination to the French classic pistou (using almonds) there are few variations of nuts and herbs that I have yet to grind up in my mortar and pestle and share on this blog. The combination of scrummy kale and fabulous artichoke makes this pesto one of my best yet.

1) Break the stem of the artichoke as close to the base as you can, then put the artichoke head first into a pan of hot, salted water and keep it submerged with an upturned pan lid (or plate). It will take 20-30 minutes to cook until tender - test the base with a knife - if it goes in smoothly it's ready!.

2) Blanche the kale then drain and dry thoroughly. 

3) Slice the artichoke leaves and add to the blender along with a generous glug of olive oil, a tablespoon of almond butter and the kale. Blitz until a soft puree has formed. Stir into pasta, spread onto sandwiches or why not try my gnocchi recipe?

Linguine with artichoke cream

Ingredients Artichoke, olive oil, linguine.

Preparation: 40 minutes

This ridiculously simple pasta dish is nothing short of fabulous! Silky, luxurious artichoke cream stirred into linguine - what could be easier? If you can't be bothered cooking your own artichoke, you could probably even use a jar of antipasti!

1) Break the stem of the artichoke as close to the base as you can, then put the artichoke head first into a pan of hot, salted water and keep it submerged with an upturned pan lid (or plate). It will take 20-30 minutes to cook until tender - test the base with a knife - if it goes in smoothly it's ready!

2) Simmer the linguine in hot, salted water for 8-10 minutes then drain.
3) Slice the artichoke leaves and add to the blender along with a generous glug of olive oil. Blitz until a soft puree has formed and stir in the linguine.

Artichoke cream

Ingredients 1 artichoke, olive oil.

Preparation: 40 minutes

Artichokes are marvellous things. So creamy and unctious in texture but they are packed with enough flavour to add complexity to salads, tarts and pasta. This simple dip, whether used to spread onto some good bread or as a pasta sauce is so silky and luxurious.

1) Break the stem of the artichoke as close to the base as you can, then put the artichoke head first into a pan of hot, salted water and keep it submerged with an upturned pan lid (or plate). It will take 20-30 minutes to cook until tender - test the base with a knife - if it goes in smoothly it's ready!

2) Slice the artichoke leaves and add to the blender along with a generous glug of olive oil. Blitz until a soft puree has formed.

Brussel sprouts with artichoke vinaigrette

Ingredients   200g brussel sprouts, 1 artichoke, basil oil, 1 lemon

Serves: 4 Preparation: 45 minutes


Brussel sprouts came into season yesterday and I am determined to bring sexy back to these underrated teeny cabbages. Growing up most of us associate Christmas lunch with being forced to eat soggy, bitter sprouts but done well, sprouts can be an indulgent treat. I love them served with artichokes, drenched in lemon juice and glossy basil oil.


1) To prepare the artichoke vinaigrette: Break the stem of the artichoke as close to the base as you can, then put the artichoke head first into a pan of hot, salted water and keep it submerged with an upturned pan lid (or plate). It will take 20-30 minutes to cook until tender - test the base with a knife - if it goes in smoothly it's ready! Slice the artichoke leaves and mix into equal parts of basil oil and lemon juice.


2) Brussel sprouts take exactly 6 minutes to cook - it's important to cook them from as fresh as possible and to check for any that smell bitter so you can discard them. Peel off any leaves that look scarred or old and then drop the sprouts into boiling, salted water.


3) Once cooked, stir the artichoke into the sprouts and serve.

Fig, goats cheese & artichoke tart

Ingredients Eggs, marscapone, basil, artichoke, lemon, basil oil, dried fig, pine nuts, goats cheese, 4oz plain flour, 2oz butter.

1) To make the shortcrust pastry measure 4oz of plain flour and 2oz of cold butter. Cut the butter into small cubes and drop along with the flour into a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Drip in 2-3 tablespoons of cold water until the mixture quickly forms a ball. Wrap this in clingfilm and put in the fridge for 15 minutes. Roll out and cut circles of pastry. Press firmly into a Yorkshire pudding tin and blind bake for 5 minutes in the oven and set aside to cool.

2) To prepare the artichoke vinaigrette: Break the stem of the artichoke as close to the base as you can, then put the artichoke head first into a pan of hot, salted water and keep it submerged with an upturned pan lid (or plate). It will take 20-30 minutes to cook until tender - test the base with a knife - if it goes in smoothly it's ready! Slice the artichoke leaves and mix into equal parts of basil oil, lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped basil.

3) Slice the dried fig and goats cheese and layer, along with the basil leaves and artichoke into the pastry case.

4) Whisk together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of marscapone. Spoon over the tart, top with pine nuts and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes.

Artichoke and mozarella pizza

Ingredients 1lb of strong white flour, 1 tablespoon of active dried yeast, 2 teaspoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of truffle oil, 250ml warm water, passata tomatoes, white onion,

basil, basil oil, red wine, mozarella, artichoke, vine ripened tomatoes, rocket, lemon, balsamic glaze

1) Pizza dough
Dissolve the yeast in 150ml of warm water and set aside to rest. After 10 minutes add the honey and truffle oil. Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture a little at a time and mix thoroughly with your hands until it becomes dough like in consistency.
It is possible to make this if you have a dough attachment for your blender.
Transfer your dough ball to a lightly floured surface and flour your hands. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes and then sit to rest in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover this with a warm, damp cloth. The bowl must be big enough to allow the dough to double in size over the next hour.

Divide the dough into small dough balls and kneed these again before rolling out on a floured surface to make your pizza crust. This dough recipe is best suited to thin, crispy pizza bases. I recommend baking the base first for 3 minutes in the oven to avoid the centre becoming soggy.

2) Pizza sauce
Finely dice half a white onion and sautee in a tablespoon of basil oil. As the onions begin to soften, add a glass of red wine and cook it off until only half the liquid remains. Add the passata tomatoes and simmer the sauce on a low heat, adding a haldful of freshly chopped basil and a good pinch of salt and black pepper.

3) Pizza toppingTo prepare the artichoke vinaigrette: Break the stem of the artichoke as close to the base as you can, then put the artichoke head first into a pan of hot, salted water and keep it submerged with an upturned pan lid (or plate). It will take 20-30 minutes to cook until tender - test the base with a knife - if it goes in smoothly it's ready! Slice the artichoke leaves and mix into equal parts of basil oil, lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped basil.

Top the part baked pizza crust with half a ladle of the pizza sauce, layer with slices of mozarella and artichoke, a few vine ripened tomatoes and bake for 10-15 minutes. Serve with rocket and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Roast pork loin with pineapple chutney

Ingredients Pork loin, pineapple, red chilli, white onion, butter, lemon, potato, rocket, mizuna, basil, basil oil, artichoke, honey, cumin, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt.

1) To prepare the artichoke vinaigrette: Break the stem of the artichoke (enlist the help of a big strong man if it's a stubborn one and you're gender-biased *tee hee*) as close to the base as you can, then put the artichoke head first into a pan of hot, salted water and keep it submerged with an upturned pan lid (or plate). It will take 20-30 minutes to cook until tender - test the base with a knife - if it goes in smoothly it's ready! Slice the artichoke leaves and mix into equal parts of basil oil, lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped basil. Toss with the salad leaves.

2) To prepare the pineapple chutney: top and tail the pineapple and slice off the skin. Cut the pineapple flesh from the core and finely dice about a third of it. Dice half a white onion and a red chili pepper and add into a pan with a knob of butter. As the butter sizzles squeeze the juice of one lemon into it along with a dollop of honey and cook in the pan until soft.
Serve on top of a grilled pork loin.

3) To prepare the potatas bravas: peel and finely dice a large potato and sprinkle with ground cumin, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in an oven proof dish for 30 minutes.

Sunshine salad with artichoke vinaigrette

Ingredients Red, yellow and orange bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, artichokes, lemon, basil, basil oil, chrysanthemum petals, salad leaves, Wensleydale with cranberries.

1) To prepare the artichoke vinaigrette: Break the stem of the artichoke (enlist the help of a big strong man if it's a stubborn one and you're gender-biased *tee hee*) as close to the base as you can, then put the artichoke head first into a pan of hot, salted water and keep it submerged with an upturned pan lid (or plate). It will take 20-30 minutes to cook until tender - test the base with a knife - if it goes in smoothly it's ready! Slice the artichoke leaves and mix into equal parts of basil oil, lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped basil.

2) Core, de-seed and slice the peppers into slivers. Halve the cherry tomatoes and place under the grill (seed side up) for 5 minutes, turning the peppers half way through.

3) Mix the salad leaves with the artichokes and arrange on a plate with the tomatoes and peppers.

4) Cube the Wensleydale and add to the salad, then wash the chrysanthemums, pluck the petals and sprinkle onto the salad.

If you like the idea of flowers in salads from a decorative point of view, but don't like the idea of eating them then why not use them as a garnish? (please note - gerbera daisies are NOT edible, though daisies are!)